


and then the earth starts to quake

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: 1x12 retelling, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 12:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20948030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: Michael leaves Caulfield before the explosion--and before Alex finds him.





	and then the earth starts to quake

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to an anon on tumblr who asked: Ok what about a super angsty where micheals mum makes him leave Caulfield earlier - like before Alex finds him earlier - and then Michael and Kyle make it out and realise the absolute worst thing has just happened
> 
> Your mind, anon, your mind.

“Where’s Alex?”

Michael was buzzing. He had a mom. She loved him. She really, really loved him. Loved him enough to tell him to save himself instead of dying to save her. It was a hard sell, but she was very convincing. Besides, how could he disobey the only thing his mother ever told him?

It was only when he ran into Valenti outside by the truck completely alone that he regretted listening.

“Me where’s Alex? _You_ where’s Alex?!” Valenti yelled, panic growing on his face more and more by the second. It did nothing but make Michael panic more. It weighed heavy in his chest as he looked towards the building. He still had a few seconds before it blew up. “I told him to go get you!” 

Oh no. No, no, no.

Michael went running back to the building, but Kyle grabbed him with a strong grip.

“What are you doing?!” Kyle screamed as if he’d lost it. Maybe he had.

But he absolutely _would_ if he didn’t go get Alex. He needed Alex. He didn’t really know where they stood, but he _needed_ him. He needed his fluffy hair and his new colorful shirts and his sarcastic smile and the way he breathed when he slept. Or, just the way he breathed. He needed to breathe.

“Alex!” Michael screamed, not knowing what to do with all the feelings in his body. They were blinding. He wanted to throw Kyle off, but he also knew he should stay. His mom told him to, Kyle told him to, Alex probably would’ve told him to if he was here. Oh, God. “Alex! I’m outside! Alex! Come on, please! _Alex_!”

It took everything in him. He could feel his voice carrying more than it should, power rippling off him in a way it never has before. A trail of sand towards the prison parted like the Red Sea to make way for it. He yelled Alex’s name through it, the ground shaking in reply. Kyle wrapped his arms around Michael’s chest, holding him back tighter.

When the building blew, they both collapsed to their knees.

“Alex!” Michael sobbed. He couldn’t tell what was shaking the Earth more: his cries or the explosion.

“It’s okay. He’s okay,” Kyle said in quite possibly the least convincing way ever. He was holding him tightly and it was easily the closest he would ever be to Kyle Valenti.

He dreaded the moment he’d let go.

“Alex!” he screamed with his last bit of breath.

He collapsed further, falling face-first into the sand in front of him and bringing Kyle along. He laid sandwiched between Valenti and the ground with the heat of a building on fire making it even hotter as he sobbed pathetically. He couldn’t help it.

He couldn’t feel anything but pain. He couldn’t feel Alex and that’s all he needed to feel to okay, but it _wasn’t_ there. Head to toe, he ached. Kyle was crying against his shoulder. With a body on top of him, he’d never felt so alone.

They laid there for a while, not moving except for occasionally calling for Alex. He was okay. He had to be okay. Michael refused to lose his mother and Alex at the same time. Alex had survived war and a childhood from hell and losing his leg and a million other terrible things: he could survive this.

Alex could survive anything.

_“Alex.”_

-

Kyle pulled Michael to his feet.

He was a crying, slobbering mess and Kyle could still feel his power deep in his bones. He didn’t know aliens could _do_ what he just did, he wasn’t entirely sure _what_ he even did. All he knew was he was rippling with energy in a way that had Kyle unable to keep his cool.

Kyle knew Alex. He had faith that he’d gotten out. He couldn’t see him, but he was sure that he wouldn’t stay in a doomed building. Not for anyone, not even for Guerin. He probably made it out of a different exit. Alex was probably fine. 

“Hey,” Kyle said as he grabbed Guerin’s face. He wouldn't have even tried this before he himself calmed down. Telling someone it would be fine when you were crying was a hard feat. “Hey.”

“No,” Guerin whined, shaking his head through his tears. He gasped loudly. “No. Alex. I need… We need… No, no, no, _Alex_.”

“Guerin,” Kyle said, steady and regulated as he would to a panicked patient, “Let’s get in the truck okay?”

His eyes went wide. “No. I’m not leaving him.” Kyle shook his head.

“I’m not saying leave him,” Kyle said, “I’m saying let’s drive around to find him.”

“No, I’m staying.”

“Guerin, he might‒”

“No!” Michael damn-near roared, “No.” He looked so intense and Kyle could _feel_ the power in him. He felt dangerous. “I-I have to stay. He knows where we are, he’ll find me. He always finds me.” 

Kyle had less than a few seconds to take in all that that might’ve meant before Guerin doubled over and started vomiting between them.

Yeah. A fuck ton of power.

It took a while, but Kyle got him to sit down again. They leaned against the truck as they waited. Kyle felt antsy not doing anything, but Michael felt like a bomb and he wasn’t going to be the one to set it off. Especially when he knew Alex was okay. He had to be. He was Alex.

Kyle couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to go searching. Alex could be hurt. He probably survived, but he could be hurt. The longer he waited, the worse he felt. Guerin passed out, either from the crying or the power drain or the trauma, but Kyle was still up. When night fell, he was still up.

Still waiting for Alex.

-

Floating was new.

Falling was not.

Alex couldn’t really remember what happened. He remembered Kyle pointing to where Michael was and then he couldn’t find him and then he heard glass shattering and then… that was it. He groaned into the sand beneath him, trying to remembering coming outside or, better yet, trying to figure out how the fuck he had been floating.

He looked around for Michael because that had to be it. He’d told him he’d floated a body before, he probably did the same to help Alex. However, instead of Michael, he just saw an elderly woman collapsed in the sand not too far from him. She was covered in a layer of soot and not moving, but she didn’t look to be actually burnt.

When he looked behind him, Caulfield was just a giant fire. He wondered how she managed to survive the explosion if she was close enough to get soot on her. Hell, _Alex_ had soot on him. He could smell the nasty scent of singed hair and was too scared to check his own head before scrambling over to the woman.

“Are you alright?” he asked, turning his head to cough, “Ma’am?” He grabbed her shoulders, gently rolling her onto her back to see if she was okay.

Her eyes were shut and it didn’t look like she was breathing, but she still had a pulse. He put his hand by her mouth and saw that she _was_ breathing, but, God, it was faint. He didn’t know what to do.

“Kyle?!” Alex yelled, looking around, but he didn’t even know where the hell he was. The prison was visible, but the fire made it impossible to tell which side they were on. Kyle could be a mile away. “Fuck.” 

Alex had CPR training, but it’d been a _long_ time since that. Still, he tried anyway. He needed to thank her for saving his life. Jesus, _why_ would she save his life? He wore the face of his father and she was clearly an alien‒she should’ve reveled in watching him burn. Instead, she used everything she had saving him.

After a couple of chest compressions and breathing into her mouth, he realized it wasn’t doing much.

“Please, please stay with me. Just long enough to find my friend‒he’s a doctor, he can help,” Alex promised even though it was clear she was unconscious. He just wanted to save her. So many people in there just died, he needed to save _her_. Not even considering the fact that she’d just saved him, she just _deserved_ a life outside of prison. She could help so much and he’d have someone for Michael to learn from. 

Oh God, Michael.

Alex shook any negative thoughts out of his head. Michael was probably alright, he probably made it out. That’s why he couldn’t find him. Thinking negatively about it would only make him panic and that wouldn’t save anyone.

When the woman slowly opened her eyes, thoughts of Michael still hummed in the back of his brain.

“Hey, hey,” Alex said, grabbing her hand because he didn’t know what else to do, “It’s going to be okay. I just need to find my friend. We’re going to save you.” She shook her head slowly. “No? What do you mean no?”

She blinked slowly, struggling to take in a heavy breath. He wanted to help her, but he didn’t know how. He wasn’t trained for this.

“Why did you save me?” he asked before he could stop himself. It was a selfish question to ask when someone was dying. 

Yet, she managed a smile.

_”He called for you.”_

The voice was entirely in his head. He could hear it there and, while normally it might’ve freaked him out, right now it just brought him comfort. He relaxed and her smile stayed.

“He?”

_”He shattered boundaries for you.”_

“Who is he?” Alex asked calmly. She wheezed a breath.

_”It was too much for you. He is Sun. You are Earth.”_

“I don’t understand,” Alex told her, tightening his grip on her hand. He wanted to know everything she had to share. He wanted her to survive so she could tell him everything. God, where the fuck was Kyle?

_”He needed you breathing.”_

“I _am_ breathing,” Alex said lightly, “Because of you. Now I need you to breathe.” She tried. He had to give her that.

_”It was too much, but I could give him you.”_

God, why did she have to be so fucking cryptic? Clearly Michael’s ability to talk in constant fucking metaphor was an alien thing. However, Alex had never been stupid, and he realized that maybe she was just weak. Michael had explained how the less they use their power, the weaker it makes them when they _do_ use it. Maybe she had just exerted so much to save him and she hadn’t been in practice due to being caged up for years, so this was just something he needed to get her past.

“Wait, hold on,” Alex said, letting go of her for only long enough to grab the backpack that was still on him. He pulled out a water bottle full of acetone that had originally been for Michael just in case.

Alex helped her sit up and let her lean against him as he slowly helped her drink some. He knew it wouldn’t heal her, but it would relieve her pain of overusing her power. It was like a muscle that had been badly pulled. He knew first hand that a little pain relief could save your life.

She grabbed his hand again.

_”He is Sun.”_

“He’s the sun?” Alex repeated out loud, trying to understand who _he_ was. He didn’t know any alien in Caulfield, definitely not one that would shatter boundaries for him, whatever that meant. “Who is he? Do you need me to find him? Can he help you? Is he alive?”

She smiled easy, breathing a little better than before. That was exciting. She might live.

_”He shattered boundaries for you. I had to save him you.”_

“What does that mean?” Alex pleaded. She didn’t answer. “Are you alright? Can you walk? Can we try to find my friend? He can help you.” 

She shook her head which didn’t help since she asked so many questions. Was she not alright enough to walk, or did she not trust that Kyle could help her?

_”He is in you. You are in him. I am so happy.” _

Alex froze for a moment. “Wait, is he _the_ sun, or is he _your_ son?” She smiled.

_”He is so beautiful.” _

It took him longer than it should’ve, but Alex caught on that he _did_ know an alien in Caulfield. One who would probably break through alien-proof glass to save him. One who could probably knock him out with overwhelming power. One who was as beautiful as the sun. And one whose mother Alex was apparently holding.

“Michael, we need Michael,” Alex said, more to himself than to her, “Guerin! Guerin!” He was yelling as loud as he could, but Michael was nowhere in sight.

He needed to find him. 

“I can carry you,” Alex suggested and he knew it’d probably destroy his stump with the extra weight in the prosthetic, but she couldn’t be that heavy. She was starved and imprisoned for decades and he was feeling adrenaline rise in him. “You saved me for him and now I’m going to save you for him. Just please hold on.”

_”You are Earth.”_

-

Michael woke with a crick in his neck, vomit on his breath, and feeling completely drained.

It was pitch black except for the fire still burning. He felt empty as he stared at it. He hoped it was fast and that his mom didn’t suffer. Even if that wasn’t the case, he chose to believe it was.

“You’re up,” Valenti said beside him. His voice was plain and flat like he didn’t actually give a shit that he was up. Michael looked around a little more. Still no Alex. Still no Alex. No Alex. Alex.

A jolt rocked through him and he sat up straight again.

“Alex?” he called, standing up. His legs didn’t want to hold him up and he had to brace himself against the truck. Alex wasn’t inside it. “Alex?!”

“Guerin,” Kyle said dryly, “Alex isn’t here. I… I don’t think Alex‒”

“Shut the fuck up,” Michael spat. He refused to hear what he was about to say. He didn’t need that. He needed Alex. “Alex!”

His voice was still hoarse from when he’d yelled earlier, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

“Guerin!” Kyle yelled back, looking cried out and tired as he stood to his feet, “Alex didn’t fucking make it! If he had, he’s probably dead now because we didn’t go looking for him!” 

“So, what, it’s my fault?!” Michael snapped. Oh, God, it _was_ his fault. Not for not searching, but for his life being endangered in the first place. Why did he break the glass? Why did he do that? He killed Alex and his mom. He killed them.

He killed them.

“Guerin?” Kyle said softly as if he didn’t just yell at him.

“I killed Alex.” Kyle’s eyes widened and he shook his head, taking a step forward. “I killed Alex. He’s… I killed him.” He couldn’t say anything else. He was shaking. Alex was gone. He didn’t get to hold him or kiss him or _anything_. Alex was gone and he never got to say he loved him.

“No, listen, I need you to‒”

_“I don’t care what you need!”_ In time with his scream, Kyle flew back. He landed a few yards away in the sand with a thud, sliding even further.

Alex was dead. His mother was dead. He killed the only two people who gave him something to live for. They were the only two people who made him feel like he belonged, if only for a moment.

They gave him everything and he killed them for it.

-

She was heavier the longer they walked, but Alex pushed through.

Once he got his bearings, he was able to see they were towards the west end of the prison. They just had to walk around to the front to get to the truck where he hoped Kyle and Michael would be. There was a massive chance that they left him thinking he was dead which would definitely suck, but he’d seen other vehicles. He could always steal one. He knew how to hotwire just fine.

Alex made sure to check that she was okay every few yards. Her breathing was progressively getting more stable, though she would still need help whenever he got her to Kyle. She was a fucking fighter.

He did his best to keep his mind off his aching leg by thinking of Michael. Clearly, if he was able to telepathically let her know that Alex was his to save then he must be okay. That was good. So, so good. The fear of him dying was about a million times scarier than Alex himself dying and it was good to know that he survived a massive explosion. It made him think that maybe it was time to clear the air a little bit better, though. Michael was still being distant and still obviously thought they were on opposing sides. If they were going to start almost dying regularly, he should probably make it clear he loves him.

It was well into the night by the time they got close enough to wear the truck was to see that it was still there. That was a massive relief. What _wasn’t_ a massive relief was the fact that Micahel was throwing up and Kyle was laying on the ground.

“Kyle!” Alex called once he was close enough. He needed Kyle to wake up so he could look over Michael’s mom.

Fuck. That still hadn’t really set in. He had a mom. One who loved him enough to save someone who looked like the people who had tortured her.

“Alex?” both men said back, their tones completely different. Kyle sounded relieved; Michael sounded like he was crying.

“Kyle,” Alex said when he got closer, “She’s barely breathing.” Kyle groaned as he sat up, but did as Alex asked once he placed her back in the sand. She gave him a warm smile and squeezed his hand.

“I thought you were dead,” Kyle said told him, shaking his head before he turned to Michael’s mother. He used his shirt to wipe soot from her face. Why didn’t Alex think of that?

Alex turned to Michael who was on his knees and had his head against the truck, a couple of piles of bile surrounding him. It made his heart ache. He walked closer.

“Guerin?” Alex asked, his heart thudding. He was tired and in pain, but he could suffer a few extra minutes for Michael. “You alright?”

“How can you say that?” Michael asked, voice thick with tears, “I thought I killed you and you just, just stroll up hours later acting like it’s fine. Like you haven’t been missing. Like I didn’t almost kill you.” 

_Because this isn’t the time_, is what he didn’t say, _I’ll save all those feelings for later when I’m alone_. Instead, he said: “Why did you think you killed me?”

He whined, shaking his head. He still hadn’t looked at him. “I set off the alarm.”

“So?”

“So, I almost killed you! I thought you were dead! I didn’t even go back in to save you! I didn’t look for you! I‒” Michael’s sobs cut his voice short and Alex knelt beside him, thankful for the momentary release off the stump as he put his weight on his knees.

“Hey, you know what actually happened?” Alex said, reaching out to sub his back, “You apparently sent out some power that was so strong that it broke your mom out. It also knocked me out, which is a good thing because I never would’ve left without you. It gave her enough time to save me. So, really, it was some badass teamwork.”

“No,” Michael said, “You’re the badass. You went deeper into an exploding building to find me. Who does that? You’re insane.” 

“Yeah,” Alex chuckled, “Maybe so, but I think, out of everyone, your mom's the badass. Dragged me away from an explosion with her fucking mind."

Michael shook his head, "I can't believe this."

"I'm okay, she's okay, you're okay. Believe that," Alex said and Michael breathed heavily, "None of what just happened was your fault.”

Michael finally looked at him, face pale and eyes tired. Still beautiful. 

“I love you,” Michael said. Alex was thankful because it made it a whole lot easier than it would’ve been to say it first. “Please don’t make me think I killed you again.”

“As long as you don’t make me think I killed _you_ again,” Alex said, leaning forward just enough to put his forehead on Michael’s temple. “I love you too.”

Now he just needed a nap.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
